Meet Our Member

The IESNYC spotlights a member each month whose volunteerism, perspectives or personal story helps advance our goals, pique our curiosity, and whose contributions help the IESNYC become a more vibrant and diverse lighting community. We value their expertise and thank them for volunteering their time and energy for the betterment of the section and NYC Lighting Community. #the_iesnycmom

November 2023

Christopher Cheap
President
Dot Dash 

Q: How did you first get started in the lighting industry?
I attended university during a slow period in architecture after the dot-com bubble burst, and I was struggling to find an internship. One day I got an invitation to interview at a lighting firm in Atlanta led by Paul Helms. After that first internship with PHA Lighting Design (now Paul Helms Design Consultants), I knew I had found my profession and passion. Typically smaller in size than the architecture firms I was interested in, I loved that lighting design allowed all team members, regardless of seniority, the opportunity to do actual design. I did not want to wait however many years was required to become a contributing designer.

I was fascinated in the potential for lighting to transform architecture and the human experience of the built environment in profound ways. Lighting is mostly intangible during the design process but transformative once the project is complete. This dichotomy, coupled with the wide range of project types lighting designers have the opportunity to collaborate on, means days are never repetitive and the challenges never get boring.

At my first job in Atlanta, I had great studio directors who introduced me to the fundamentals of lighting design. There I also met my first mentor, Acie Brooks. Acie was a skilled draftsperson and taught me the skillset of reading drawings to derive the completeness of the architecture – volume, scale, balance, daylight, etc. – from two-dimensional plan drawings. (This was before rendering programs were widely used.) He also taught me many of the fundamental processes that I’ve carried with me over the years and that we still use here at Dot Dash 20 years after I first learned them.

After a few years, I moved to City Design Group (now CD+M) with Ted Ferreira. Ted traveled extensively and entrusted me with many of the day-to-day project management requirements of the very small firm. This gave me tremendous confidence to manage all aspects of the design process and introduced me to client development. I loved the work and seeing the small business grow, but I saw what was going on in New York and wanted to be a part of it.

After interviewing at many firms, I had the privilege to join Suzan Tillotson, whose mentorship shaped my career. Her ability to solve incredibly complex design problems, embrace both the whimsy and technicality of lighting, and her success as a business leader was inspiring. Ever since, I have challenged myself to meet high standards of excellence while continually developing my own aesthetic and approach. I also work to carry on the legacy of mentorship. I love working closely with the young designers at Dot Dash to share my knowledge and empower them with responsibility, while at the same time learning from them.

Q: How did you first get involved in the IESNYC?
When I moved to New York, I began attending educational events and meeting other lighting designers in the City. The IESNYC seminars and classes on the fundamentals of lighting are where I learned many necessary technical skills – an important complement to design experience in the studio. And in the last decade of technology shifts, continuing education is absolutely crucial. The IESNYC events are also great opportunities for professional networking, and I’ve met so many valued friends and colleagues there.

Q: In your opinion, what are the best assets of the IESNYC?
The best asset of the IESNYC is the collective knowledge and experience of the local lighting community, and the network we’ve created. The IESNYC serves illumination professionals broadly. But as a professional organization promoting the role that lighting designers play in the design and construction process, it’s invaluable. I do not take for granted this organizational framework for the local lighting design community.

Case in point, the Lumen Awards program exhibits and promotes exceptional work by lighting design firms and credits the young designers who are instrumental in the development of the projects. I love that our work is recognized in a familiar setting, as opposed to some of the international competitions where we may not know the other firms or designers personally. We often see the other team members  – reps, owners, architects, and allied designers – who appreciate the work that goes into great lighting design. I love the competition it promotes while encouraging excellence, regardless of whether you make it to the Lumen stage that year or not.